Chapter 49: The New Building Captain of Building A in Official Wealth Estate
[Page 1 of 3]
Chapter 49: The New Building Manager of Building A, Official Fortune Estate
Duan Ming looked left and right, then pointed at himself in astonishment.
“You’re calling me?”
Qin Wei hurried over after hastily wiping his mouth. He first glanced at the little wooden plaque, then fixed his gaze on Duan Ming’s face for a long while, his eyes widening in disbelief.
“I never expected that the good thing Ying Hongyan said she had left for you would be this. She actually left you the position of building manager.”
Duan Ming was utterly confused.
“The position of building manager? Isn’t this just a title? Is obtaining it really that impressive?”
“Besides, all I did was touch the little plaque, and suddenly I became the new building manager? Isn’t that a bit childish?”
Qin Wei shook his head.
“You don’t understand. The position of building manager can only be inherited when the previous building manager personally appoints a successor. And do you really think being a building manager is merely a title?”
Duan Ming straightened up.
Qin Wei continued, “The building manager of Official Fortune Estate possesses supreme authority within his own building. That doesn’t mean you, a Fierce Ghost, can order the residents around at will, but they are incapable of carrying out any harmful action against you. That is dictated by the rules, and no one can defy them.”
“Furthermore, as long as you remain inside your building, you receive a twenty percent increase in ghost energy. Not only that, but any target harboring hostility toward the building manager will automatically have its strength reduced by twenty percent.”
“That’s incredible! I was wondering why I felt so much stronger after that black light came in.”
Duan Ming was so shocked he could barely keep his backside shut.
“So can I understand it this way? I’m now the boss of Building A, and all the residents below are my underlings. Some of them just happen to have rebellious streaks and aren’t very willing to recognize me as their leader. Once I persuade them one by one, Building A will become my gang’s headquarters?”
Qin Wei fell silent.
“That’s more or less the idea,” he said at last. “Though you may still need to work a little harder as their leader. Basically, your entire gang refuses to acknowledge you.”
Duan Ming pretended not to hear him.
“So can I move my other underlings into this building too?”
“That won’t be a problem. As long as you can afford to buy one of the vacant apartments here, you can even reserve one for Black Powder.”
Duan Ming blinked.
“Who’s Black Powder?”
“Oh, that’s the dog that’s always following me.”
“Black Powder? Why such a strange name? Is he some celebrity’s anti-fan?”
“You’ve misunderstood. It’s purely literal. Don’t let his body being pitch-black fool you—some parts of him are unbelievably pink, and I—”
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
The huge black dog suddenly appeared. Qin Wei stared at him in surprise.
“Black Powder, what are you doing here?”
The black dog bared his teeth.
“I heard you insulting me, woof!”
“When did I insult you?”
“Because I believe you were insulting me.”
“Hey, don’t make baseless accusations! I was merely describing your condition.”
Duan Ming, who was standing nearby, stared blankly.
“What condition?”
“Oh, this is how I summon Black Powder. Whenever I insult him, he appears. You have to testify for me—did I actually insult him just now?”
A thought occurred to Duan Ming. He pulled the black dog’s head toward him and whispered into his ear.
“Qin Wei is unreliable. He may not have insulted you outright, but I think he was using indirect insults.”
Black Powder cocked his head.
“Hm? You think so too?”
[Black Powder’s Affinity +10]
“Of course. He usually beats you, right? Insults you, right? Doesn’t he sometimes even refuse to feed you?”
Black Powder stared at him.
“How did you know?”
Duan Ming clicked his tongue sympathetically.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Now look at me. When have I ever laid a hand on you? I’ve even personally chopped fresh thigh bones for you to eat.”
Black Powder nodded solemnly.
“That’s true. Compared to you, Qin Wei is the difference between heaven and earth.”
[Black Powder’s Affinity +10]
“If that pink problem has been troubling you, I can find the finest black paint in the real world for you. I guarantee it won’t fade.”
Black Powder stared at him.
“???”
“That really won’t be necessary, but thank you for your kindness.”
[Black Powder’s Affinity +10]
“I’ll tell you another secret, but you absolutely must not tell anyone else.”
“What is it?”
“I’m the building manager of Building A now. Why don’t you kick that rotten old man Qin Wei to the curb and follow me instead?”
Black Powder’s eyes widened.
“!!!”
His tail began wagging furiously.
“Boss! I’m going to tell everyone that my boss is the building manager, woof!”
[Black Powder’s Affinity +50]
[Black Powder’s Affinity: 90]
Qin Wei’s face had already turned livid.
At last, he could not hold back any longer.
“For crying out loud! You two, that’s enough!”
“From now on, could you keep your whispers quiet enough that I can’t hear them, damn it?!”
…
The trip to Official Fortune Estate had yielded a plentiful harvest. Not only had Duan Ming become the building manager of Building A, he had also acquired an apartment and, as a bonus, recruited a dog underling.
Utterly satisfied, Duan Ming returned to Greenhill Hospital.
To make a long story short, the days that followed were exceedingly comfortable. In the blink of an eye, it was time for the dungeon to end.
He embraced the three members of Team 157 one after another.
“Everyone, take care.”
Xu Haoran waved a hand.
“Hey, why are you making it so sentimental? We’re only leaving half a day after you.”
Duan Ming scratched his head.
“Erm… how should I put it? An informant of mine told me there might be some trouble in the cafeteria. In any case, be careful.”
“???” ×3
But Duan Ming had already transformed into a streak of white light and vanished.
It was the same familiar void. One result message after another drifted across the air.
[Dungeon Name: Greenhill Hospital]
[Dungeon Difficulty: D-Rank]
[Page 2 of 3]
[Dungeon Objective: Survive for 72 Hours]
[Name: Duan Ming]
[Complete six F-Rank food-delivery missions]
[Complete Hidden Mission: Dominate the Cafeteria]
[Complete Greenhill Hospital’s Final Hidden Mission: Slanted Stubbornness]
[Overall Rating: E] (Hidden missions do not count toward the rating.)
[Rewards: 1. Ghost Energy +10]
[2. Blessed Folding Stool]
[Blessed Folding Stool]
[Wandering Soul Rank]
[Description: The foremost of the eighteen weapons in the real world. In the Strange Realm, it remains notorious enough to strike terror into the hearts of all who hear of it.]
An ordinary-looking folding stool suddenly appeared in Duan Ming’s hands. Under his gaze, it began flashing wildly.
Like a light bulb.
Damn it, did “blessed” just mean it could emit light?
I’d be better off carrying a flashlight.
Duan Ming clenched his back teeth.
His textbook had once mentioned that, aside from beginner dungeons, there was an extremely small chance of obtaining a ghostly item appropriate to one’s dungeon rating upon completion.
Clearly, this folding stool was the product of extraordinary luck.
But an item that was only Wandering Soul rank—and that could even blind its owner when taken out—was no different from a pile of dung to Duan Ming in his current state.
He shoved the dung into his Boundary Stone storage space. The results screen was nearly finished, and after another flash of white light, Duan Ming returned to his room at home.
“Huh? Where’s Han Lingling?”
There was no sign of either Han Lingling or He Yuwei.
He took out the Strange Realm web browser.
Before long, the call connected.
“Hello, Sister Lingling. Where are you?”
Han Lingling answered, “Ah, Duan Ming, you’re out! He Yuwei and I went to the hospital where something happened to her in the real world. We’re seeing if we can find any clues about Pei Qiongyin. It’s quite far away, so take care of yourself these next few days.”
“All right. You two be careful as well. Oh, and remember to come back in a few days. You still have to take the civil service examination for the Paranormal Investigation Bureau.”
“Hm? When did I ever say I was going to take it?”
“Huh? Sister Lingling, you don’t want to join the Paranormal Investigation Bureau? You already have a contracted ghost spirit. Once you go through the formalities, you can join the Ghost Tamer Association.”
“Forget it. I’m not joining. I’ve already told Chen Feng and the others not to report my situation. Neither He Yuwei nor I like feeling constrained. It’s fine. Acting freely is actually the better choice for both of us.”
[End of Chapter]